Improvement in bridles and bits for horses



F, L. HASKELL.

`Improvement in Bridle-Bits for Horses.

N0. 130,994, Patented Sep. 3, 1872.

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UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

FRANKLIN L. HASKELL, OF LEOMINSTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN BRIDLESAND BITS FR HORSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.1309954, dated September3, 1872.

To allpersoas to whom these presents may come:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN L. HAsKELL, of Leominster, of the county ofWorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Harness for Horses; and do hereby declare the same to befully described in the following specification and represented in theaccompanying drawing making part thereof, of which- Figure l is aperspective view of a harness headstall and martingale provided with myinvention. l Fig. 2 is atop view; Fig. 3, arear elevation; and Fig. 4,an end view of the toggle-check hereinafter described.

The object of my invention is to dispense with a bit as usuallyemployed'in the mouth of a horse for guiding and checking him.

Serious injury occasionally results to a horse from the bit, lacerationcr abrasion of. the gums or jaw being a common occurrence; besides, invery cold weather the mouth is liable to be more or Vless frozen, andthereby rendered sore by the bit.

In carrying out my invention I combine with the headstall a nose-pieceorloop to extend around the nose of the animal, and I also combine withsuch loop or. nose-piece and the hea'dstall and driving-rein, or withall such and a standing martingale, what I term the toggle-check.

In the drawing, the said toggle-check is,

shown at A. It consists of two levers, a a, and two f cheek-pieces, b b,the two levers-being hinged together at their inner ends and extendedthrough and pivoted, respectively, to the cheek-pieces, each cheek-piecebeing made or `provided with eyes c d or c d e, arranged Each lever atits outer end is also provided with such an eye for reception of the driving-rein E.

The toggle-check A is applied to the headstall B in the same manner as acommon bit is usually connected .with it, the nose-piece or loop C beingbuckled into and extended from the cheek-pieces of the toggle-check, inman- Furthermore, the standing martingaleD is also buckled to the saidcheekpieces. The inner arms of the two levers or toggles are to go justin rear of and embrace the lower lip and jaw of the horse, but withoutgoing into his mouth asa bit does when in use. On the driving-rein Ebeing pulled back the toggle-levers and the nose-loop will be drawnsimultaneously closely up to the nose and lower jaw ofthe animal, so asto compress the lower part of his head between between such loop and thetoggles, whereby he may be checked to much better advantage than he canby abit in his mouth, the disc`omfort occasioned him by thebit beingcompletely avoided. The martin'gale serves to keep the toggle-cheek fromrising too high upon the head, and generally speaking would be necessaryto the check; but in some cases it may be dispensed with, particularlywith such horses as are not likely to throw up or out the head whilebeing driven, or those which donot require a martingale to keep the headdown.

I have found by experience the above-described invention to be veryeffectual in driving and checking a horse and to be very much more comt'ortable to him than an ordinary bridle-bit.

I claim as my inventionl. The toggle-check A, substantially as and andfor use as described.

2. Also, the combination of the nose-loop O and the toggle-cheek A withthe headstall B.

3. Also, the combination ot' the nose-piece or loop C, the headstall B,the toggle-check A, and the driving-rein E.

4. Also, the combination of the nose-loop C, the headstall B, thetoggle-check A, and the standing martingale D.

5. Also, the combination of the nose-loop G, the headstall B, thetoggle-check A, the'driving-rein E, and the standing martingale D, al1being arranged substantially as and for use with a horse, substantiallyin manner as described.

FRANKLIN L. HASKELL. Witnesses: i

R; H. EDDY, J. RxSNow.

